TO Report- Operation Autumn Mist

The first Victorian Bolt Action League event for 2019 has now come and gone.

Operation Autumn Mist was a 1000-point event hosted at Good Games Melbourne, organised by yours truly. The event was a narrative style gaming day, where the sides were split between Axis and Allies sides to fight for glory.

I honestly want to say that I am proud of the Victorian Bolt Action community at the moment, and running this event has made me keen to play more games. Everyone has been really positive and is playing in good spirits. I had no issues with any players, and all rules disputes were resolved very smoothly.

I think that players are becoming more conscious that our events are not tournaments, but instead are simply gaming days where people can roll dice and have a laugh. A lot of the people in our community don’t play regularly, and our events every 2-3 months might be the only time they get out to game, which means they don’t want to play in a super competitive environment.

Citroën Traction Avant: Rubicon Review

- By Jakob Lotz

So a little while back I got my hands on one of Rubicon's new resin vehicles - to be more specific, the Citroën Traction Avant! I'm just going to say this right out of the gate, wow, just wow. This is one high-quality kit!

The model comes in a rather unassuming box. It's nothing fancy but it sure does the job, and given that it's really the contents of the box that is important, the looks of the packaging doesn't really matter that much.

Hanoswag! Jael reviews the Rubicon Hanomag upgrade kits

The Sdkfz.250 and Sdkfz.251 halftracks, collectively known as “hanomags” after their manufacturer Hannoversche Maschinenbau AG, are an iconic element of the Wehrmacht, transporting Panzergrenadiers to the battlefield as well as serving in more specialized battlefield roles. While the troop carrying version is well known, the halftracks were modified to fill the gap in recon companies by the obsolescence of the sdkfz.222 light armored car, as anti tank and infantry support vehicles, as armoured ambulances, as bridge-laying vehicles, and a host of other applications.

I’ve never been a fan of using the standard Hanomag in its armoured transport role – I’ve always felt that the cost differential between a truck and the Honomag was not justified by the increased protection. However, I’ve often considered running some of the specialized variants in games.
Rubicon have produced a number of add-on kits for their base 250 and 251 halftracks which modify the original kit – in this case we’re looking at the Sdkfz.250/9 and the Sdkfz.251/9, which are the armoured recon and infantry support variants respectively. 

Building a DIY Board

Jael here.

For a long time I was keen to build a table I could use for casual games at home. Over the past few months I had been slowly building various pieces of terrain with view to having a modular board which would pack away into a cupboard when not in use, but still look more convincing than a green cloth over the dining room table. 

So as soon as I was able, I headed down to the local hardware shop and acquired three 2x4 foot 3mm MDF boards, some high-density extruded foam, a very large bottle of PVA glue and various other odds and ends required to complete the project.

I started out by placing some buildings and scatter terrain on the bare boards to get an idea of the scale and to begin marking out roads. As it turned out, the river sections were an almost exact fit to stretch across the board, so I decided (particularly as they were getting damaged in storage) to embed them into the board itself. I decided not to do this with the railway sections as I wanted the board to be useful for games in pre-industrial/fantasy settings as well.

Revisiting a First Love: Tristan's Airborne Journey

Get ready, stand up, hook up, equipment check, sound off for equipment check, go go go!!

Some time ago, I attempted something new, namely breathing life into an old project. My first ever army was the 101st airborne. I chose this force without knowing anything about Bolt Action.

My choice was made purely based on what interested me and what I knew I loved. It was a decision that I'd make again in a heartbeat and it's the first thing I'll tell someone new coming into the hobby when they ask me "what army should I start with?"

The Baconburgers Episode 12: The Dirty Dozen

In this episode, we are joined by friend of the cast Ruebs. There’s lots of incoherent rambling and occasional content as usual. We have a new ‘Roving Lachie’ segment featuring live interviews with community members at Operation Bear, and we have a bit of a chat about game balance. Enjoy!

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Review: Rubicon Renault R35/40

French Foreign Legion in the Levant

As my Army of the Levant force is getting under way, I've been on the look out for French vehicles that are suitable for campaigning in Syria & Lebanon in 1940-1941. I set my eyes on the Renault R35, which was a key element to the Vichy- aligned French forces administering the region.

While it was outmatched in the Battle of France against the German Panzers, the R35 was still a capable tank for colonial warfare where forces were less well equipped to deal with relatively heavy armour. This was the case in the Levant, where up to 90 R35s were delivered to Commander Henri Dentz's administration in 1940 to replace the Great War-era Renault FT17s. These tanks made up the 6th & 7th armoured regiments of the Chasseurs d'Afrique.

The Baconburgers Episode 11: Hell's Highway

In this episode, our brave lads venture to Bendigo for Badgacon, surprise themselves with the results, discuss dice caps for events, which 80s cartoon characters had secret tattoos and much more.

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The Baconburgers Episode 10: Wrapping Up & Backing Down

In this episode, the boys do a wrap up about the Melbourne event 'Operation Greif' before having a chat about the best ways to use big cats, if there is one. We also have a discussion about Tristan's controversial Badgacon list, have a chat about the interesting format of upcoming Operation Bear, and discuss the merits between organised play and casual gaming in the world of Bolt Action.

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Operation Greif: TO Report and State of the Game

Tournament Wrap Up

It's Monday morning and I'm drinking a coffee trying to wake myself up after a massive day at Operation Greif.

We somehow managed to get together 27 players (plus a Gumby for 28!) which was the largest Bolt Action event ever held in Victoria. Great work team!

Op Greif was held at Tivoli Club, a German bar & restaurant where the historical wargaming group League of Ancients holds their monthly meet-ups. Tivoli proved to be a great venue with lots of space for tables, a selection of german beer on tap and some delicious meals (despite a problem with slow lunch service!). Crucially, it was important to have a bunch of tables and spare terrain at the venue already there which helped us with setting up the night before, so I have to thank Richard Stubbs from LOA for letting us use the venue. I will personally be aiming to get to LOA meetings (third Sunday of every month) and I'm sure we will work out some more events between LOA and the Victorian Bolt Action League.

The Baconburgers Episode Nine: Foreign Fields, Foreign Metas

In this episode, the boys have a bunch of hobby chat, before talking about the upcoming events Operation Greif and Badgacon. We also delve into the hot topic of the month: how should players go about building lists for new metas when you aren't sure what you'll be facing?

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The Baconburgers Episode Eight: Hategrease

In this episode, we have some hobby chat before covering the Melbourne events 'Operation Heavy' & 'Operation Wolf'. We also have a guest (not really) Rob White in the second half so we can pick his brain on how his Chindits won Op Wolf


This episode's a monster, so strap in!


0:01 Intro & hobby chat
0:47 Operation Heavy rundown
1:51 Operation Wolf prep
2:09 Operation Wolf aftermath ft. Rob
3:05 Onwards: talking veterans, strategy and shit-talking

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The War Room: Operation Wolf

Operation Wolf was run last weekend at Good Games Melbourne, TO’d by Old Man Morin from the Cast Dice Podcast. There were 24 players on the day, making it the biggest Bolt Action event ever run in Victoria. It was three games at 900 points each.

My Army

Australian Jungle Division: 1943-1945
Order Dice- 11

2nd Lt, Regular, extra man- 60

Regular Jungle Division, 8 men, 4 SMG- 92

Regular Jungle Division, 8 men, 4 SMG- 92

Regular Jungle Division, 7 men, 3 SMG, LMG, - 99

Regular Papuan Section, 7 Men, SMG- 87

Veteran Commando Section, 8 men, 4 SMGs- 120

Regular Sniper- 50

Regular Light Howitzer, ‘Short’- 45

Regular Medium Mortar- 50

Regular Medium Machine Gun- 50

Regular Matilda II, Frog- 155 

Armies on Parade!

The Baconburgers Episode Seven: Rallying on Snake Eyes

It's good to be BACK!

In this episode, we introduce new recruits Lachie and Jael. We have some hobby chat and talk about the lead-up to Tristan's event 'Operation Heavy,' the first VBAL event for 2018. We also have a friendly debate about 1:48 vs 1:56 scale for vehicles.

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Out From the Jungles: Operation Wolf

Upcoming Event: Operation Wolf

The Baconburgers will be playing this weekend at Operation Wolf, a 900 point Bolt Action event run by Old Man Morin from the Cast Dice Podcast. The event is running at Good Games Melbourne and has 26 players registered, with an emphasis on a beginner-friendly environment.

Over the last six months, I've been painting up an Australian army based on the New Guinea theatre. I've finally gotten the army to a level where they can come out to an event, which is very exciting. Having Op Wolf at 900 points had also made this a bit easier for me as it means I don't have to paint an extra unit or two!

I fell in love with this army after Warlord published the New Guinea campaign book last year, along with a beautiful new range of Australian models, all in metal. The campaign book came out after much anticipation as there was a lot of people working on it to make it the best it can be, including Brian & Patch from the Australian Bolt Action community. I'm glad the writers and play-testers took their time with the book, because it is a pleasure to read and use as a resource to base armies off.